Army's bowl chances are officially on life support. The Black Knights hit the midway point at 1-5. They need to win their next five games to be bowl-eligible.

"They just outplayed us today," Army senior quarterback Trent Steelman said. "We didn't find a way to break through in either half."

Army's offense, which rolled up 516 rushing yards in a win over Boston College last week, stumbled out of the gate for the second home game in three weeks. The first half looked a lot like Army's 23-3 loss to Stony Brook on Sept. 29. Army went into halftime without any points, like the Stony Brook game. Only two of Army's six first-half drives were six plays or longer. The four short drives totaled 63 yards.

Roosevelt Nix, a defensive tackle with a linebacker's quickness, and Kent State weren't giving an inch inside. Nix went unblocked and dropped Steelman for no gain on 4th-and-1 from Army's 38 on the opening drive of the second half.

Kent State coach Darrell Hazell and defensive coordinator Jon Heacock, who both coached at West Point in the 1990s when Army ran the wishbone, played eight men in the box. The Golden Flashes kept Army outside of its 20-yard line for more than three quarters. Malcolm Brown's 20-yard run with 13:44 left in the game gave Army its first possession inside Kent State's red-zone

"They were better running their defense than we were better running our offense today," Ellerson said.

Trailing 24-10 with less than seven minutes left, Army still had a chance. Raymond Maples took a pitch left on 4th-and-2 from Kent State's 11. But, once again, Kent State's defense was one step ahead. Cornerback Sid Saulter blitzed and forced a Maples fumble.

Kent State's Dri Archer delivered the final blow with an 87-yard touchdown run two plays later.

"We knew they were fast and we expected it," said sophomore linebacker Geoff Bacon, who led Army with 14 tackles. "It was nothing new. We just didn't make the play like we needed to when we got there."

Ellerson continued to show frustration as his press conference commenced. The Black Knights fought without some of their best players on the field. Linebacker Nate Combs, fullback Larry Dixon and safety Justin Trimble left with injuries.

"We almost dragged ourselves kicking and screaming back into that thing," Ellerson said. "It's not inconceivable, but we're going to have to play better and we've going to have to coach better. You're not going to be able to go in there on one leg and play in one phase of the game."

Instead of heading to Eastern Michigan on a two-game winning streak, Army is once again left with questions.

"We have a chance to do some things," Ellerson said. "We are really close. We are saying that way too much."